The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for high fire danger Friday across much of Northern Virginia.
The warning is in effect from noon to 6 p.m. for Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, eastern Loudoun, northeast Prince William and northern Fauquier.
The weather service says dry conditions, low relative humidity, warm temperatures and west winds with gusts up to 30 mph will elevate the risk of rapid fire spread.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions exist and “can contribute to extreme fire behavior,” the NWS said.
After hitting highs in the 80s Thursday, temperatures today are expected to climb to about 75 degrees with sustained winds of 10 to 15 mph and much stronger gusts.
More on the elevated fire danger from Fairfax County:
Elevated potential for the rapid spread of fire is expected this afternoon to early evening due to the combination of dry conditions and gusty winds. Relative humidity values as low as 25%, along with west winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph are expected. This combination of dry conditions, low humidity and strong gusty winds may result in favorable conditions for the rapid spread of fires.
- You are urged to exercise caution if handling open flames or equipment that create sparks.
- Dispose of cigarette butts, matches and other flammable items in appropriate containers.
- Keep vehicles off of dry grass and obey local burn bans. Most dry grasses, dead leaves and other tree litter could easily ignite and spread a fire quickly.
This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. The excerpt from Fairfax County’s emergency blog post was added by FFXnow. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
